Latest Current Affairs Capsules & MCQs
Zero fluff. Curated exclusively for SSC CGL, Banking (IBPS/SBI), Railways (RRB NTPC), and Central examinations: Gaganyaan, Aditya-L1, Mission Divyastra (Agni-5 MIRV), New Criminal Laws (BNS/BNSS/BSA), PM Surya Ghar, Chenab Bridge, Atal Setu, and Bharat Ratna with instant practice MCQs.
PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana Expansion across 1 Crore Households
The Union Government has scaled up the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana aiming to provide up to 300 units of free electricity every month to 1 crore households through rooftop solar installations with a total outlay of ā¹75,021 crore.
- ā¢Total Budgetary Outlay: ā¹75,021 Crore.
- ā¢Subsidy: ā¹30,000 for 1 kW, ā¹60,000 for 2 kW, and ā¹78,000 for 3 kW+ systems.
- ā¢Target: 1 Crore households across all States and UTs.
- ā¢National Portal: Implemented through National Rooftop Solar Portal.
Under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, what is the maximum monthly free electricity units provided to eligible households?
ISRO Gaganyaan Mission: Uncrewed Test Flight with "Vyommitra" Humanoid Robot
ISRO completed human-rating certification of the CE-20 Cryogenic Engine and launched the final uncrewed orbital test flight featuring "Vyommitra", the female humanoid robot designed to monitor life support systems before the crewed mission.
- ā¢Launch Vehicle: LVM3 (Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk-III - Human Rated).
- ā¢Orbit: 400 km Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for 3 days with a safe splashdown in the Arabian Sea.
- ā¢Astronaut Candidates: 4 Indian Air Force Test Pilots (Prashanth Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Pratap, Shubhanshu Shukla).
- ā¢Robotic Precursor: "Vyommitra" (Half-humanoid developed by ISRO Inertial Systems Unit).
What is the name of the female half-humanoid robot developed by ISRO for the Gaganyaan uncrewed test missions?
RBI Monetary Policy Committee (MPC): Repo Rate & Digital Rupee (eā¹) Offline Features
The Reserve Bank of India maintained the policy Repo Rate under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF) and introduced programmability and offline functionality for the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC / eā¹) to facilitate transactions in poor connectivity areas.
- ā¢Monetary Policy Committee: 6 Members (3 from RBI including Governor + 3 External Members appointed by Central Govt).
- ā¢Inflation Target Band: 4% with a tolerance band of +/- 2% (2% to 6%) under Section 45ZA of RBI Act 1934.
- ā¢UPI Lite Limit: Wallet limit ā¹2,000, per-transaction offline NFC limit ā¹500.
- ā¢Standing Deposit Facility (SDF): Serves as the lower floor of the LAF corridor (without collateral).
Under the RBI Act 1934, what is the statutory medium-term Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation target assigned to the RBI MPC?
Aditya-L1 Completes 1 Year of Observations at Sun-Earth Lagrange Point L1
India's first dedicated solar observatory Aditya-L1, successfully inserted into a halo orbit around Lagrange Point 1 (L1) located 1.5 million km from Earth, transmitted breakthrough solar flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) data.
- ā¢Orbit: Halo Orbit around Sun-Earth Lagrange Point L1 (1.5 million km from Earth).
- ā¢Key Payloads (7 total): VELC (Visible Emission Line Coronagraph), SUIT (Solar Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope), ASPEX, PAPA.
- ā¢Launch Vehicle: PSLV-C57 from SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota.
- ā¢Advantage of L1: Uninterrupted, continuous view of the Sun without any occultation or eclipses.
At what distance from Earth is the Lagrange Point 1 (L1) located where the Aditya-L1 spacecraft is placed?
DRDO Successfully Flight-Tests Agni-5 with Multiple Warhead (MIRV) Technology
India successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously developed Agni-5 missile equipped with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology under "Mission Divyastra", capable of striking targets over 5,000 km.
- ā¢Mission Name: Mission Divyastra.
- ā¢Technology: MIRV (Single missile carries multiple nuclear warheads directed to distinct targets).
- ā¢Range: Intercontinental range (> 5,000 km).
- ā¢Propulsion: 3-stage solid-fuel rocket engine with composite rocket motor.
- ā¢Nations with MIRV: India joined USA, Russia, China, UK, and France.
What was the code name of the flight test of Agni-5 missile equipped with MIRV technology conducted by DRDO?
India Secures Historic Double Gold at 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest
Indian Men's and Women's chess teams created history by winning both Gold Medals at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary. D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi won individual board gold medals with unprecedented performance ratings.
- ā¢Host City: Budapest, Hungary (45th Chess Olympiad).
- ā¢Men's Team: D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna.
- ā¢Women's Team: Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, Tania Sachdev.
- ā¢Historical Milestone: First time India won Gold in both Open and Women's sections simultaneously.
In which city was the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad 2024 held where India won historical Double Gold medals?
Enactment of Three New Criminal Laws: BNS, BNSS, and BSA in India
India overhauled its British-era criminal justice system by enforcing three new criminal laws: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (replacing IPC 1860), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (replacing CrPC 1973), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (replacing Evidence Act 1872).
- ā¢Effective Date: 1st July 2024.
- ā¢Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS, 2023): Replaced Indian Penal Code 1860 (Introduced community service, redefined sedition as treason against state sovereignty).
- ā¢Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS, 2023): Replaced Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 (Mandated timeline for trial & forensic investigation for crimes with 7+ yrs punishment).
- ā¢Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA, 2023): Replaced Indian Evidence Act 1872 (Gave electronic records same legal status as primary evidence).
Which new criminal legislation replaced the colonial Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860 in India from July 1, 2024?
World's Highest Railway Arch Bridge: Chenab Rail Bridge Commissioned on USBRL Project
Indian Railways completed and operationalized the Chenab Bridge in Reasi district of Jammu & Kashmir, towering 359 meters above the river bed (35 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower) on the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL).
- ā¢Height: 359 meters above Chenab river bed.
- ā¢Total Length: 1,315 meters with a central arch span of 467 meters.
- ā¢Project: Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project (272 km).
- ā¢Wind & Seismic Resistance: Engineered to withstand blast loads, Zone V earthquakes, and wind speeds up to 266 km/h.
The world's highest railway arch bridge built by Indian Railways is constructed across which river in Jammu & Kashmir?
India Wins ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados
India clinched their second ICC Men's T20 World Cup title (first since 2007) by defeating South Africa by 7 runs in the thrilling final at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados. Virat Kohli was named Player of the Match and Jasprit Bumrah won Player of the Tournament.
- ā¢Hosts: USA and West Indies (First ICC tournament hosted in USA).
- ā¢Final Venue: Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados.
- ā¢Captain: Rohit Sharma (Became first captain to win 50 T20I matches).
- ā¢Player of the Tournament: Jasprit Bumrah (15 wickets with economy rate of 4.17).
- ā¢Retirements from T20Is: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja announced T20I retirement after the win.
Who was awarded the "Player of the Tournament" in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024?
Bharat Ratna 2024 Conferred upon 5 Eminent Dignitaries
The President of India conferred the Bharat Ratna, the nation's highest civilian honour, to five eminent personalities for monumental contributions to agriculture, democracy, and governance.
- ā¢1. Karpoori Thakur (Posthumous): Former CM of Bihar, champion of social justice ("Jannayak").
- ā¢2. Lal Krishna Advani: Former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India.
- ā¢3. P.V. Narasimha Rao (Posthumous): Former Prime Minister who pioneered 1991 LPG economic reforms.
- ā¢4. Chaudhary Charan Singh (Posthumous): 5th Prime Minister of India, legendary champion of farmers.
- ā¢5. M.S. Swaminathan (Posthumous): Father of Green Revolution in India.
Who among the following was known as the "Father of the Green Revolution in India" and was conferred the Bharat Ratna 2024?
BRICS 16th Summit: Official Expansion with 5 New Permanent Members
The BRICS grouping held its 16th summit under Russia's presidency in Kazan, officially integrating 5 new full member countries: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Egypt, and Ethiopia.
- ā¢Venue: Kazan, Russia (16th BRICS Summit).
- ā¢New Members: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- ā¢Theme: Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security.
- ā¢New Development Bank (NDB): Headquarters in Shanghai, China; President: Dilma Rousseff.
Where was the 16th BRICS Leaders' Summit held in October 2024 under Russia's Chairmanship?
India's Longest Sea Bridge: Atal Setu (MTHL) Operationalized in Mumbai
Prime Minister inaugurated the 21.8 km long Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu (Mumbai Trans Harbour Link - MTHL), becoming India's longest sea bridge connecting Sewri in South Mumbai to Chirle in Navi Mumbai.
- ā¢Length: 21.8 km (16.5 km over sea water and 5.5 km on land).
- ā¢Rank: Longest sea bridge in India and 12th longest sea bridge in the world.
- ā¢Key Feature: Uses Orthotropic Steel Deck (OSD) and Open Road Tolling (ORT) system.
- ā¢Travel Time Reduction: Reduces travel time from South Mumbai to Navi Mumbai from 2 hours to 20 minutes.
What is the total length of India's longest sea bridge "Atal Setu" (Mumbai Trans Harbour Link)?